and stage the most incredible spectacle BC has ever experienced.
What you NEED TO KNOW before you arrive »»
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Vancouver and Whistler are
preparing to host the 2010 Olympics and stage the most incredible spectacle BC has ever experienced. What you NEED TO KNOW before you arrive »» |
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INFO City LINKS for our 2010 Olympics Region Vancouver Whistler Burnaby Coquitlam Port Coquitlam New Westminster Langley Squamish TRANSPORTATION Public Private Air Water Click here for Olympic Sports schedules. Olympics Visitor & Tourist News Vancouver and Whistler are very beautiful cities, but in some respects ... not at all what they seem. Peaceful activism often turns violent in Olympic cities, and Vancouver is no exeption. Some protests have legitimate platforms and are responsible, while other's base their strategy on civil disobedience. So far, the video of the protest above seems to be the form, but things turn on a dime as you can also see here ... Crime and corruption, although nothing like Mexico, are prevalent in Vancouver, and for a modern North American city, we are way behind the times when it comes to protecting citizens and visitors. This is a popular tourist town, which means scam artists of all sorts operate here, and have done so for many years. Vancouver is struggling to improve the situation for the 2010 Olympics, but unfortunately our region still has the highest incidence of bank robberies, home burglaries and car theft in all of Canada. Most of it is fueled by rampant hard-core drug use. They don't call it Vansterdam for nothing, so don't be fooled by political propaganda that Vancouver is the best place in the world to live. Be especially vigilant when leaving bags or purses hanging over chair backs or placed at your feet in public places and restaurants. The 2010 Olympics increased the cost of living and consequently created desperate economic situations for many people. Our sharpest thieves dress up and look like you and me. Pickpockets are also everywhere and work in teams. Protect yourself and your valuables. Use your hotel's safe deposit boxes. Vancouver and Whistler are tourist towns, and Vancouver is an international port, which means a variety of opportunists, including cab drivers and hotel workers deal in all types of underground and black-market contraband including scalped tickets, prostitution, and drugs. Some areas of our city, the Downtown Eastside for example, are more dangerous than the ghettos in New York City or Los Angeles, and if you accidentally stumble into one of these neighborhoods exit stage left asap. Drug addicts are unpredictable and sometimes react for no apparent reason. Many carry knives, have HIV, and are seriously mentally ill. Fortunately, the worst neighborhoods are in one general area, but panhandlers sleep on the streets everywhere, even in upscale neighborhoods throughout the entire city, and they're sometimes aggressive and violent. Many are addicted to crack, meth or heroin, or a concoction of all three. Many are not comfortable around large noisy groups so you won't see them in or even near big Olympic crowds. Vancouver is trying to force homeless people into makeshift shelters by using a recently passed "cold weather law." Politicians claim it has nothing to do with sweeping Vancouver's homeless under the carpet for the 2010 Olympics, but the reality is that for decades and even as recently as last year civic leaders looked away and let people freeze to death in back alleys. Some even burned to death in cardboard lean-tos trying to stay warm. Police out of the blue are also issuing homeless people bogus and really expensive tickets for jaywalking and minor infractions with what we suspect is the intent of eventually being able to arrest them - everyone knows they can't pay a $300 fine. A bench warrant goes out when the Games pull into town and POOF! they disappear into jail for a few weeks. It's doubtful Vancouver politicians and police will be as successful as they hope, so be wary of your surroundings and of aggressive street people, most however are harmless and some pretty friendly. Homeless people are feeling incredible and unfair pressure to get the hell out of the city and are pissed off. It's even been reported, although Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson denies it, that some homeless people have been given one way bus tickets to smaller surrounding cities with the hope they will stay there until at least the Games are over. Directors of homeless shelters in smaller cities insist it's happening. Who do you believe ... a politician ... or a guy who works his ass off on his dime to help the needy? Olympic cities love gullible tourists (seriously, who doesn't), and when they know they have you trapped, they act accordingly. Even some of the non-Olympic businesses will unfairly target you, and some will use the same sales tactics Olympics organizations use, so be careful. Be especially vigilant regarding businesses that pass themselves off as official Olympics retailers or services. They will often have cheap knock off souvenirs in their windows, or a pitch that sounds like a carnival barker. Avoid these clowns. Most will be in hotel districts and near Olympic facilities like BC Place and the Olympic Athletes' Village. Areas around the dreaded Olympic zones are jammed with all types of scams. Here one moment and gone the next. Move out a little farther. Currently the really dangerous areas are east of the downtown core in the neighborhoods surrounding Chinatown. Everyone should visit Chinatown, but walking to it isn't a good idea unless your big city-fied. Take a cab, but watch out for rogues. A bus is also possible, but at some times of the day (almost always) you'll have to deal with crackheads with large green garbage bags full of leaking stinking beer cans, so pay attention. It's a little unnerving if you accidentally stroll into the downtown eastside (DTES) unprepared. You'll know you're entering dangerous territory by the hair standing on the back of your neck. Once you're in Chinatown stay there and enjoy, but don't attempt to walk back to the downtown area (west), especially at night. It's a relatively small neighborhood so it's not even a good idea to venture even a block from its epicenter. Neighborhoods surrounding Chinatown shouldn't be explored casually. Check back here occasionally to find out where criminal hot spots pop up. Local police put incredible pressure on homeless people and as a result they move quite regularly all over the city. Unfortunately, drugs and crime soon follow. When we notice a migration, we'll post it here. UPDATE: Kitsilano saw a huge influx of homeless people in late December/early January. Little groups of 3- 8 binners started camping out in front of 4th Ave shops right after Christmas. The Safeway parking lot and adjacent strip mall is a favorite hangout. Lots of large plastic rain roofs suspended between full carts and cardboard carpet. A shelter opened at 4th and Fir and the alleys jumped to life with a constant parade of homeless people going through every the garbage of every store and home for about 8 or ten blocks west and likewise in all other directions. Lot of traffic late at night too in the alleys, plus increased drug use and some pretty serious fights. Still, Kits is an incredible west coast hippie experience and relatively safe. Night time can be a little edgy though in dark areas. If you want to escape the city go snowboarding or skiing! Canyon Run on a Blue Sky Day! OLYMPIC TICKETS ...click here TRANSPORTATION Public Public transportation in an Olympics region is always a nightmare. If you're a pedestrian, please be careful ...  Don't count on using public transport to move easily around our region. It only took a couple of days to figure out Translink needed about 25% more buses during peak times. Wait times were sometimes an hour or two. Olympics organizations are scrambling to handle at least a million riders a day. Most public transportation is reserved for Olympics use, which means schedules are geared for Olympics events. As long as you're going between popular hotel areas and Olympics zones you'll do fine, but if you want to cruise around town on the Old #9 forget it. You'll have to count on taxis, and of course private limos, which will be a challenge too. Driving is relatively easy, but there is literally no where to park. If you want to improve your chances of getting on a bus consider walking a bit to an empty stand. Bus tickets are sold based on zones - different rates for each zone. Usually though during the Olympics, if you're going with the flow and headed out of the downtown area, you will be able to ride for free. Normally, the fine is about $150 if you don't pay and get stopped like our mayor (Yes, Mr. Happy Planet Gregor Robertson got busted for riding without a ticket). Don't forget to validate and check the back of your ticket for expiration times. Bus drivers are being very lenient though, especially if they know you're drinking - so act a bit drunk when you get on. Just kidding, you probably won't have to act if your truly in the Olympic Spirit. Go CANADA Go! Vancouver worked desperately since 2005 to upgrade our BUS SYSTEM. We added hundreds of new drivers and temporarily imported buses from all over North America. In Salt Lake City in 2002 similar plans fell apart and many visitors were left to carpool at the last minute, many times with strangers. Vancouver also has serious challenges, especially in the first week, with buses breaking down with athletes aboard, drivers getting lost, and even quitting in frustration. It worked better on week two. the real test will come when everyone wants to leave on the same day. You might also have to drive a rental over snowy mountain roads in the winter, but so far the roads have been mainly dry, with only occasional rain. Hopefully you, or your new friends have experience though driving in slippery conditions on winding mountain roads. In Turin in 2006 Olympics visitors wasted 7 hours on bus runs that normally took 2. An Olympic athlete even botched an event due to poor transportation. Public transportation is ridiculously convoluted in most Olympics regions, so be prepared to sit on a bus for hours chatting in foreign tongues. Olympic organizations always have a tough time pulling ground transportation together, and unfortunately Vancouver and Whistler are struggling too at times. It's hard to believe the IOC still can't get it together after decades of trying. One system that is operating relatively smoothly is Vancouver's Skytrain. It's basically a subway on stilts, something like the trains in Chicago. Skytrain tracks obviously can't be moved to other locations, so these vehicles will be running on a modified schedule to move people between boroughs and cities. In December 2009 it was reported sky train law enforcement is preparing to hire bomb sniffing dogs and handlers to patrol the system, but I'm wondering why they don't install X-Ray machines like they do at airports. Skytrain is also a subway system, which as everyone knows is a favorite terrorist target all over the world. Transit police made an issue of only hiring bomb sniffing and not drug sniffing dogs, but if you plan on carrying a joint or two, I would be careful. Even though our city is affectionately known as Vansterdam, possession of pot is still illegal. If a friendly black or golden lab sits down beside you don't be surprised if you get pulled to the side and searched. Click here to BOOKMARK this page for updates. The BIGGEST Transportation SECRET in Olympics Regions You can also click here to see what Vancouver Translink is doing. Private Vancouver and Whistler are world class tourist towns. Consequently, we have a great network of private transportation companies. However, as you can imagine, during the 2010 Olympics, you will have to book early and pay premium prices if you want a private bus, limo or car. Our limo companies have incredible stretch vehicles that cater to the snow and mountain crowd. They have huge Stretch Hummers and various luxury SUVs decked out with bars and even hot tubs. These puppies are perfect solutions for that exclusive party trip between city locations and the mountains. The challenge, is that in the run up to and during the 2010 Olympics all these companies will be extremely busy and ... stretched thin. Scrutinize their websites very carefully. If they look second rate online it's a good indication of their quality and reliability. All commercial vehicles are required to be licensed, but many underground companies will pop up to pick up the slack. Some of these underground runners operate out of bedrooms, and the drivers and vehicles are not necessarily safe, so if you book a private vehicle, make sure you arrive in one piece, not pieces. Safety is a huge issue on a winding steep mountain road covered in black ice and snow. Check with us as the date draws closer to see who's trustworthy. Air We have a whack of air services available, from helicopter to jumbo jets. Our region hosts two international airports, one in Vancouver,and a second an hours drive away in Abbotsford. You can hire private planes and helicopters and move easily throughout the region, but again, you have to be careful who you pick. BC is notorious for light plane and helicopter crashes. Quite often the crashes are tied to drug smuggling , but even so, it's a good indication that the industry isn't that well managed and regulated. Many small carriers also recently learned they would be grounded during the Olympics, or rerouted and forced to vector around the danger zones, which means a one hour trip turns into four. Make sure you check the schedule carefully. Water We have ferries, seabuses, water taxis, and surfboards. Take your pick, but a surfboard might be your best and safest bet considering the poor safety record of our ferry system. Our ferries often break down, crash into land and into moored boats, and sometimes even sink as a result of crew members not paying attention. Some allege crew members have sex on the bridge or smoke pot on duty. Whatever the reason for the accidents no one is admitting anything, so bring a life jacket and wear it. If you have to get from Vancouver to North Vancouver quickly your best option is the Seabus. The two catamarans hold four hundred passengers each and zip across the bay in about twelve minutes. Don't go during rush hours though because they'll be jammed with commuters. Water Taxis are convenient in the areas around Granville Island on False Creek, but it's like bobbing around in a tin bathtub. They rock and roll and are not heated so if you have a weak stomach arrive prepared with seasick pills and a warm coat. Thankfully the trips are short so it shouldn't be a problem. Consider it a mini-adventure. The cityscapes are incredible. Our Ferries run on semi-sporadic schedules between the islands and major BC cities. When things get backed up and sailings are canceled, which is often in peak season, it is a nightmare waiting in the long line ups that sometimes last overnight. The best advice is to plan well in advance, not be in a rush, and have a back-up plan - like a sea plane. We love to Surf on the Wet Coast, but in order to catch a wave you have to take a 1.5 hour ferry ride from Vancouver City to Nanaimo, and then drive to the far side of Vancouver Island. It takes about 4 or 5 hours total, but once you reach Tofino it is paradise reborn. You can rent all the gear you need including boards and wet suits, but keep your eye out for Killer Whales because you'll look an awful lot like a floundering seal in your black wetsuit. Just kidding, Orcas leave tourists alone because they know it's bad for business. Besides you Aussies are too tough to munch on, and Brits, well you don't have a great reputation when it comes to gastronomy, so your safe too! lol In case you missed the WARNING at the top of the page . . . IT RAINS HERE - A LOT !! Come prepared ! See you soon, and if you have questions, please contact us here! 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